Hi All I just recieved this imfo, Thought I would post for anyones future reference. I know I would of liked to of seen this stuff earlier.

Here you are:

IOWA MEDICAL AND CLASSIFICATION CENTER RECEPTION PROGRAM

The Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) is a correctional facility located near Iowa City, one and one-half miles north of interstate 80 on State Highway 965. Twenty-three beds at the facility are a part of a licensed psychiatric hospital. Over 300 beds are set aside for longer-term general population offenders. The remainder of IMCC is reserved for the Reception Program at the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC). The design capacity of IMCC is 520 Beds.

All persons being incarcerated in the DOC will likely be in the reception Program for approximately 4-6 weeks. During that time, new offenders will receive complete physical and dental examinations, will undergo psychological and educational testing, and will receive information about DOC programs and policies. Near the end of the stay at IMCC, the offender will undergo a classification process to recommend treatment programs, determine an appropriate custody rating, and decide upon an initial assignment to a DOC correctional institution. Sometime after the reception process, the offender will be transferred to his/her assigned institution.

We realize that family and friends of offenders who are in the Reception Program will have many questions about our policies and procedures. The information below may answer some of those questions.

Correspondence: Each reception offender will be issued two (2) envelopes per week that are mailed at institution expense. Additional writing materials are available to offenders for purchase through our commissary. Offenders are not allowed to correspond with individuals under correctional supervision or detention, or with non-related persons under the age of 18 (except with parental permission). When you write to an offender here, you must use his/her full name, institutional identification number, and our full address as follows:

(Offender Name and #)
IMCC
PO Box A
Oakdale, Iowa 52319

You must also use yout full name and return address on the envelope and you must sign your full name at the end of the letter. All mail, will be inspected for contraband. Offenders are not allowed to give letters, property, or money to other offenders. If you assist offenders in such transactions, your communication priviledges with all offenders may be terminated.

Visits: IMCC Reception offenders will not receive visits except for their attorney and one clergy. The offender's attorney and clergy will need to complete a visiting application and will need to be approved for visiting. These visits muct occur during normal visiting hours. The offender's attorney can make arrangements in advance to visit outside of scheduled visiting hours. We encourage offenders in Reception Status to send visiting applications to their immediate family so they can be approved to visit for when the offender is transferred in General Polulation. Visiting applications that we receive for non-immediate family will not be processed. Immediate family is defines as grandparents, parents, step parents, siblings, spouse, and the offender's children. Step and half relations are included if they co-habited with the offender. If you are denied visiting IMCC will notify you with a reason.

Send visiting applications to:

Central Records
Visitors Applications
(Offender full name & #)
IMCC PO Box A
Oakdale, Iowa 52319

Phone Calls: Reception Offenders (reception members scored as maximum custody are allowed legal calls only) are allowed to make telephone calls automatically limited to 15 minutes using the Offender Pre-Paid Service. The DOC inmate Telephone Accounts Pre-Paid form must be completed and sent in with each deposit to be placed on the offender's telephone account. This form is available at all correctional facilities and also on the Department's website: www.doc.state.ia.us. You may also photo copy a sufficient supply to meet you needs. The minimum deposit for each deposit is $20.00. Only Cashier's Checks and money orders will be accepted. All deposits must be designated to an inmate name and matching I.D. number. After January 1,2002, deposits may also be designated to a specific telephone number as well. Toll free numbers and 900 numbers are prohibited. All deposits must be mailed directly to:

IMCC Inmate Telephone Accounts
PO Box 400
Oakdale, Iowa 52319

Personal Property: Personal property is not allowed. Do NOT send personal property or attempt to deliver items during visits. All reception offenders will be provided basic needs. They will not receive any monetary allowance while here. If you wish to send money to an offender, it MUST be in the form of a cashier's check or money order made payable to:
"Warden of the offender (Full name & Number)."
Money orders and cashier checks must also incluse the name of the sender. DO NOT ENCLOSE LETTERS TO OFFENDERS WITH CHECKS> THEY WILL BOTH BE RETURNED TO THE SENDER. Cashiers Checks/Money orders must be mailed directly to the:

IMCC Bussiness Office
PO Box A
Oakdale, Iowa 52319

Most offenders are required to pay a potion of their allowance for restitution. If the offender has and enforced restitution plam, a portion (usually 20%) of the amount sent to the offender will be deducted for restitution.

We recognize the important role that each offender's family and friends play on the process of adjusting to and receiving benefits from his/her incarceration experience. If you have additional questions or concerns, you should feel free to call this facility and ask to speak to the offender's counselor. Our Telephone number is (319) 626-2391.

Signed Russell E. Rogerson (warden)

Heather,
Thanks for the much needed info! I'm new at this, although my Aaron isn't. Hopefully this will be his last pass thru IMCC. I just wanted to know, do you really have to wait 4-6 weeks to visit? We are married, but I don't know if that makes any difference! Thanks again, and hi to all! I'll be a frequent visitor for the next 5 (or however long that means in Iowa prison time) years!

Hi Winngirl1-

Yes you do have to wait, maybe even longer than that. They allow only lawyers to visit Oakdale, so you will have to wait til he gets beyond. Have him send you a visiting app, since you are married, they will process it there, and then when he gets to his regular prison you should be set to go.
Good Luck-
Heather

The people that can visit at Oakdale are spouse, there chrilden, and parents and siblings(Brothers,Sisters,) and Lawyers. Basically no friends are girlfriends,boyfriends. After John left Oakdale it took about 2 and a half weeks to get approved.

No Tami- this has all changed since the escapes. Only lawyers can visit-no family no nobody at all.

IMCC Reception offenders will not receive visits except for their attorney and one clergy. The offender's attorney and clergy will need to complete a visiting application and will need to be approved for visiting.

This stinks, but its the new rules :(

I think thats funny because John was at Oakdale when they had the prison breakout and he still had visits with his mom and children.

What my underdstanding is when they are moved to General Population they are aloud to visit with there family. Because when John was first there he didn't have visits the fist couple weeks was like a reveiw seeing how you react to being there something like that . Then he was moved to General population while still at Oakdale he had visit's with his family

*kicking and screaming!* Sheesh I wish they would just make up ONE rule and stick with it, instead of just making them up and/or modifying them as they go along! I told Aaron this morning that I hope he realizes that it wasn't just him, he got locked up, it's me too! If I cry one more tear I swear my eyes will just fall out! Thanks for the info and for letting me vent!
Suzanne

Hi Everyone- Just wanted to clarify something here.
The Rules that I have posted above are for RECEPTION offenders. And yes, there is General Population at Oakdale, and yes General Pop is allowed Imediate family visits. I hope this clears alot up, I only posted these rules for anyone new going through this stage, As Oakdale is always the first stop for all inmates before they are transfered to their regular prison.

So Please be advised that the above rules are not for General Population at Oakdale. Only Reception.

Hi everyone! I'm new here and my fiancee is now in Oakdale and she will most likely end up in Mitchelville. I keep hearing about these Visitation Forms and she sent me the website addy, but how do I get a form? Is there an official form I need to fill out, or do I just write in and give them my info? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Gypsy.. your fiance will have to send you a form in order for you to be allowed visitation. There is nowhere on the web to get these forms.

Is it possible to post one of these visitor forms on PTO? I can send one if it's ok.....
What are the rules regarding this?

Lostmylove.. I don't know the rules as far as posting forms. The only problem I see is that if someone tries to use it (someone wanting to visit a prisoner), it will be rejected by the facility because only the inmate can send them out with the facility's approval. I know this, because my son has a little boy who lives with his mother. My son asked for his mother's address so that he could send her a form for my grandson's visitation. My grandson can't go with me without his mother's approval.

WOW! That answered so much for me. I can't thank you enough. It is hard out here not knowing what is going on in there.

my husband just got sent to oakdale. i've been reading all these postings but i don't understand. when will he beable to call me? what is a reception offender? will he only be there for 4-6 weeks or will it be longer? can i send him pictures?

Tiger_lilly17, my son just recently got transferred out of Oakdale to Anamosa. I can't remember how long b4 he could call, but I know someone has to send a money order or cashier's ck ($20 minimum) to his telephone acct (that info is above in Blinky's Gal's post). You can send pictures, and you never know for positive how long he'll be there, but 4-6 weeks is average. A reception offender is one who got sentenced to prison and they all go to Oakdale to be classified. The classification tells what type of prison (minimum, medium or max) they should go to. But, my son was classified as minimum/med and still got sent to anamosa, which is med/max.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

believing- if he had money on his books in county jail, would that transfer to oakdale? if so could he use that to buy a phone card or do i still have to do it?

hey i just found a website that told me my husbands info and it gave me his inmate number thing. would that be the number i use when i write to him?

Tiger~

If I were you I would just go ahead and send him atleast 20 to his phone account so he is able to call incase they dont transfer his money or it takes some to time be transfered. Every Jail is different. Earlier in the post it tells you exactly how to do this. But yes, he can put money on for his phone account as long as he has it to do so.
He will have to get your number on his phone list, once on his list that will travel with him once he gets to his regular prison.
And yes the number you saw on the doc site is exactly the number you use to write him. That # will not change.

Hope this helps more~Good Luck,

Heather

Hi, Tiger_Lilly17. I just got your PM last night. I'm be sending one back to you. I would think they would transfer his money to Oakdale. I think if you call 319-626-4238, they might tell you if he has money on his phone acct. When my son was there and his phone money was about to run out, he told me I could either send more money in or he could transfer some of his spending money to his phone acct. So if the money on his books went to his acct at Oakdale, he should be able to put it on his phone acct.

His inmate number is the one you have to put after his name when you send him correspondence. They'll confirm his ID number at the phone number above also.

I think Oakdale is an okay place to be. My son Kevin was fine there.

thanks to you guys for writing me back. you have helped soooo much during this time of change. i can't express what it means to me to actually talk to others who have and are going through the same thing.

hey i just got off the doc site and it said adam's tentative date of release will be in 3 years from now. he is up for parole in 6-8 months. have you ever heard of anyone getting paroled the first time and if not. how long will it be from his first to his second or does it vary?

Tiger~
I just asked Ricky your question. He said hard to say, most dont make parole their first review. Depends on what he is in for and if he has required classes to complete, they wont even consider paroling him til those are complete.
His tentative outdate is when he'll be released end of sentence (providing he stays outta trouble) if he dont make parole.
On a 5 year sentence (not sure how long he got) Ricky said the board will look at him at 8 months, then it wont happen again for a year after that.
Hope this helps more, stay strong...

Hugs~Heather

he's in for a 3rd owi and i believe criminal mischief in the second or burglary in the 3rd. he got two 5 year sentences ran together. his tentative date of release was in 2008 and that wouldn't be 5 years from now. this is so confusing. thanks for helping though.

Tiger~

Ricky said in Iowa, your sentence is automatically cut in half for good time behavior. Any trouble though, then they can take that good time back.
So that is why his tenative outdate is 2008, that is when he will forsure be discharged providing he dont make parole before that.
For owi charges he will forsure be required to do alcohol treatment to even be considered for parole. And Ricky told me to tell you to tell your honey that as soon as he gets to his regular prison, have him talk to his councelor to get him in that right away to get it over with, otherwise they wont get him in until the parole board recommends it, which then it will be even longer for him to get parole.

Hope this helps ya......
Hugs~Heather

adam just called and told me that he has the option to go to fort des moines owi treatment. he wants to know as much about it as possible. ex. is there a long waiting period to get in, if he's up for parole in 6-8 will he still get that chance to be out for good then or will it be longer, what are the advantages of being there rather than in prison, will this make his total time be longer, and finally, i'm pregnant do you think it would be easier for him to be in fort des moines when i have the baby because they get the privalages of being out on the streets? any info that anyone could give me asap would be most appreciated. thanks

HEY EVERYONE I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNEW THE RULES ABOUT SENDING MAIL TO MT.PLEASANT CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IF WE CAN MAKE THINGS FOR THEM SUCH AS CARDS ECT AND SEND THEM TO THEM? :confused:

i am new here also, would like to say Thanks for the info. Does anyone think that at this VERY FRAGIL PLACE in these peoples lives,it is "cruel and unusual" to NOT ALLOW FAMILY? I just think we must have lost all common sense on this, what do they think they will end up with....Angry Inmates Maybe????? I do not see where this could help ANYONE.........

I really need help my finacee is going to oakdale next week and we dont know anything about it liek how mail books, money , personal property goes please help me someone.

This isn't new for me as having someone in prison my brother awas and my husband is and i want to find out how i see for sure when he discharges

Hi,
My daughter is at Mitchellville. She sent me a visitor's application. Does anyone know where I send it too? I had the address, but misplaced it. Anyone's help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

I think it's BS that only family members can visit.. what about the rest of us that aren't married?? Utter BS..

He's allowed two other people on his visitor's list: friends. Fill out the application that he sends you and go for it.
IGIT

EDIT: It states 15 minute calls on the rules for Oakdale, but my husband's calls are always 20 minutes long. If we want to talk longer he just calls back.

Is he? Ohhhh man.
I'm gunna write to him right now and ask for an app.

If you do a search on here (the Iowa forum), you can find where someone posted a visiting application. I used that for my mom so we didn't have to wait for it to get here by mail.

Here it is:

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=223372

oh wow how ironic i wanted to see him.. he actually SENT me one in his last letter!!! how creepy is that?? i swear our brains are on the same wave-length..

i am a bit worried though, b/c i'm not immediate family.. it does say anything sent in from non-immediate family members won't be processed.... i also wrote him back asking if i should be worried about that

if i am denied i don't want him getting p*ssd off and going off on someone you know?

The way I understand it is that they can have 2 non-immediate family members on their visiting list. I thought that was a DOC policy, but maybe it's different for certain programs or something.

and see thats what i heard, too. i think they need to update their packets they send out, lol! had me worryin for nothin.

Hi,
My daughter is at Mitchellville. She sent me a visitor's application. Does anyone know where I send it too? I had the address, but misplaced it. Anyone's help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

My friends sister just went and she sent hers back to Mitchellville

Diann Wilder Tomlinson, Warden
Iowa Correctional Institution for Women
300 Elm Avenue, SW; P. O. Box 700
Mitchellville, IA 50169
(515) 967-4236
(515) 967-5347 FAX
Gloria Sapp, Business Manager

they can deny you for many reasons. if you are on probation, parole, on another persons list. but they can have 2 non-family members on the list. fill it out, send it back and hope for the best!!!

Im not family and Im in anamosa 3 times a month.

Non-family may visit IA inmates according to the IA Administrative Code 201 (see below). Most states, including IA, have an immediate-family-only rule while an inmate is "new" to the prison system. I can't remember how long that "new" period is in IA, but in many states a prisoner can't have friends apply for visits until the 60, 90, or 120 day mark. IA Code 201-20.3(3)b. Two other visitors. The offender’s relatives other than immediate family may be included on the list and allowed to visit if visiting space is available. Relatives of the offender other than immediate family may be subject to a background investigation. Friends of the offender may be included on the list. All friends of the offender will be subject to a background investigation conducted by law enforcement fficials. http://www.legis.state.ia.us/ACO/IAChtml/201.htm#rule_201_20_3 (http://www.legis.state.ia.us/ACO/IAChtml/201.htm#rule_201_20_3)

The IA DOC visiting policy complies with the Code, but states there may be exceptions depending on security concerns, etc.

http://www.doc.state.ia.us/Documents/OP-MTV-04%20Offender%20Visiting.doc

there was also a thing on the visitors form that said only immediate family is allowed. so much for luck.. lol i'll just have to wait til he gets to fort dodge

Hi , I checked your forum like everyone my grandson just got sent to oakdale and I was very anxious to know what to do ect. I thought the information letter on here was very helpful but it is dated 2003 and they have changed the addresses where you send the money to be put on their account and changed the address where you send the phone money too. To send money to youR person in oakdale its IDOC OFFENDER FIDUCIARY ACCOUNT - 1550 L STREET - SUITE B - FORT DODGE,IA 50501 with their name and number on the money order. Its best to wait till you get the info from them they will send it to you too. Hope this helps someone.

hey i just found a website that told me my husbands info and it gave me his inmate number thing. would that be the number i use when i write to him?

can u give me the website that u got his info from? i would really appreciate any help u can offer. thanks, kj

It's the Iowa Dept of Corrections... the site is: http://www.doc.state.ia.us/ click on offender infomation, put in first and last name, and that will give you info. They can receive letters right away. Make sure that you write your full name and full address on the return envelope... and also make sure that you write your full name at the end of the letter. The address is: Inmate name/#, IMCC, PO Box A, Oakdale IA 52319. You probably won't hear from your guy for a little over a week, because he won't be able to call until then, and even when he is able to, he will have to have money on his phone account... and he will have to get your telephone number approved on his bubble sheet. Please let me know if you have any other questions about Oakdale. My brother is actually there in GP.

Hello,My boyfriend of 11 years just got sent to Oakdale about 2 weeks ago&I have been writing to him&I have"nt gotten a letter or a phone call nothing,(Is he getting my letters)This is very very hard for me!!!!! I need some answers please!!!!He has very bad asma&I was wondering if he is ok!!!!!PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!

I didn't get my first letter from my boyfriend until exactly one week from when he got transferred from county jail... It was 8 days until I got to hear his voice too!
I can relate to EXACTLY what you are going thru.. If it would help, perhaps I can have my boyfriend relay a message on for you to him?! I know that helped me a few days, for someone else to call me and have a message from my boyfriend!
yes, he can get your letters. Have you also signed up for CorrLinks? You can send him emails and they are so much faster and get handed out every day, except on weekends.
Have you sent money to his account for his phones? You should call ISP and ask if your number is approved for him to call out. If you need the numbers or address to send the money order- let me know.
Hope that helps some!

If he doesnt have money on his books to purchase writing supplies or stamps, the prison will provide 2 stamped envelopes, paper, and pencil for him to write out each week.

I hope you hear from him soon. Sometimes the orientation process takes time and its hard not knowing what is going on but you will eventually hear from him. I'm sure he will contact you when he is able to.

Hi this is my first time here, my friend is in there and I am not sure how to find his ID#. How do I do that? Does anyone know?

Go to the IDOC website and look up his name.

Welcome! Wheres your friend at?

Ok thank you. Im not sure where he at. I have been friends with him for alolng time now and we even use to date til I moved out of state thats when he ended up in there and his family split apart and everything.

I went to that site and its not working for me for some odd reason. Do you know if there is any other ways of finding out?

That would be the only way if you don't know where he's at...

How long has he been in? Maybe my husband knows who he is.. he seems to know everyone.. apparently more than he should, lol. If he's in FD, my husband would probably know him.

Well not sure but he might kno him. He is known well as Sheppy. not sure but im thinking about a month or longer.

Ok i finnaly got it to work and i found him thank you for your help!